Button-holding clamp for sewing-machines.



No. 690,305. Patented Dec. 3|, [90L F. T. LEILICH.

BUTTON HOLDING CLAMP FOR SEWING MACHINES.

(Application filed. J'une' '29, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Shut I (No Model.)

.- WITNESSES: 7.

, INVENTOR. n: V lvwww (I? THE NORRIS vzfzns no; mcno'mnq. WASH No. 690,305. Patented nee. 3|, |90I F. T-. LEILICl-l. BUTTON HOLDING CLAMP FIIR SEWING MACHINES.

(Application filed June 99, 1901.)

2 Shasta-Shoat 2.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES.-

ETERS co vnomuma, wnsummon D c NITED' STATES PATIENT CFFICE.

- FRANCIS T. LEILICH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

BUTTON-HOLDING CLAMP FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 690,305, dated December 31, 1901.

Application filed June 29, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS T. LEILIOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Button-Holding Clamps for Sewing-Machines,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to clamps for holding 1o flat buttons having holes or bars, and has for its object to provide a mechanism which shall be capable of, first, holding buttons of varying diameters with their respective centers 'in one position and with a resilient grip of such strength as will effectually prevent m ovement of the button between the clamp-jaws in the operation of sewing the button to the fabric; second, operating the button-holding jaws in the relative order of lifting, opening,

closing, and lowering them to their first position, whereby a button maybe inserted and gripped between the jaws when at their high,- est relative position; third, being constructed of such a minimum degree of weight relative to the maximum strength of the materials that the device may be moved very rapidly in practical operation.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my invention as applied to a sewingmachine, the larger part of the latter being broken away, the button-holding jaws being shown without a button between them and in a normal position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the machine-frame broken away to 3 5 show the button-clamp, the jaws of which are represented as holdinga button of maximum diameter. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on line a: m, Fig. 2, of abutton as held between the button-holding jaws. Fig. 4is aside 'ele- 4o vation of Fig. 1, partly in broken section, to

show the connection of certain parts and omitting the springs shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate some of the forms in which my invention may be constructed and applied, Fig. 6 showing a clamp arranged to be the machine by a block 43 and screw, which arrangement permits the main slide 41 to move in any direction ina slngle plane. The

Serial No. 66,607. (N'o modeh) one end of the slot 42 when lifted abuts against the block 43, by which the movement of the main slide 41 in one direction is limited. Aspring44, interposed between the machine-frame and the main slide 41, holds the latter toward its normal position, in which it rests upon the throat-plate of the sewing mechanism to which it may be attached. A secondary slide 45, provided with rectangular slots and an outwardly-projecting extension 46, is secured to the main slide 41 by screws passing through these slots and secured to the main slide 41, by which arrangement the secondary slide 45 is permitted to move longitudinally in one direction until stopped by contact of one of the slots with its screw. A spring 47 of a greater resilient strength than the spring 44 is interposed between the main slide 41 and secondary slide 45 to hold the latter toward its normal position.

Pivotally secured to the main slide 41, Figs. 2 and 3, by screws are twobutton-holding jaws 48 49, arranged as levers of the first order, provided at one each of their respective ends with diagonal slots and at the other ends arranged to grip and hold a button. A screw 50, Fig. 4, extending through both diagonal slots and passing through a slot in the main slide 41, is secured to the secondary slide 45,

operatively connecting the latter to the button-holding jaws 48 49. The projecting end of the screw 50, Fig. 1, serves also as a convenient point of attachment for the spring 47. To the end of the main slide 41 opposite its fulcrum a stop 51 is adjustably secured to enable the operator to place the buttons rapidly in a correct position between the buttonholding jaws.

,A lever 52, secured to a shaft 53, having its bearings in the machine-frame, is arranged to contact at one end with the extension 46 of the secondary slide 45 and at the other to connect with any suitable means to be used by the operator, as hereinafter described.

The parts 38 39 4O 40 represent no elements of this invention and are shown as illustrating an operative connection with a preferred and superior form of sewing mechanism forming the subject of another application.

In using a machine provided with my invention and of the preferred construction re ferred to the operator depresses by any suit able means the end of the lever 52, which by contacting with the extension 46 of the secondary slide 45, the latter being movably connected to the main slide 41, and held to ward its normal position by a spring 47 of superior resilient strength interposed between the two slides, first lifts the said two connected slides against the pressure of a spring 44 of a resilientstrength inferior to that of the spring 47, interposed between the main and secondary slides, to astopped position, as determined by contact of the end of the slot 42 with the block 43. The spring 47 will then yield, the secondary slide rising, and through the screw 50, extending into the diagonal slots of the button-holding jaws 48 49, will cause the said button-holdingjaws to open. A button then being inserted and the lever 52 released by the operator, the clamp will remain at its highest point until the jaws close upon and grip the button, when the clamp will descend. The button-holdingjaws being closed by a resilient device acting upon both members alike, it is readily seen that buttons of all diameters within the limits of the construction will be held with their centers in the same position. 4

, \Vhile I have shown and described my invention as applied to a preferred construction, in which'the needle is caused to vibrate laterally and in which the button-holding clamp is moved upon a fulcrum placed vertically and the clamp lifted vertically and in which the button is held at about a right angle to its plane of movement, it is evident that itcan be applied to sewing mechanisms in which the needle reciprocates vertically in a fixed position and in which other means may be used to bring the button-holding clamp into a relative operative relationship. The clamp may also be moved in positions other than at a right angle while holding the buttons in a horizontal plane,and other means may be used for opening and closing the jaws from and to a central position, some of which are illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. I do not, therefore, confine myself to the particular form of construction and application as hereinbefore described,andshown in the accompanying drawings. The gist of my invention lies in the combination and arrangement of a main slide having two button-holding jaws secured to it and capable of movement upon it in either an are or a straight line, a secondary slide secured to the main slide and capable of longitudinal movement upon it and held resiliently toward anormal position, and means operatively connecting the secondary slide and button-holding jaws to open and close the latter from and to a central position.

I claim-- 1. In a button-holding clamp, the combination of amain slide; two button-holding jaws movably secured to said main slide; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide, operatively connected to said buttonholding jaws and held in a normal position by a spring and means, including said spring, for actuating said secondary slide to open and close said button-holding jaws.

2. In a button-holding clamp, the combination of a main slide; two button-holdingjaws pivotally secured to said main slide; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide, operatively connected to said buttonholding jaws and held in a normal position by a spring and means, including said spring, for actuating said secondary slide to open and close said button-holding jaws.

3. In a button-holding clamp, the combination of a main slide; two button-holding jaws movably securedto said main slide; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide and held in a normal position bya spring; means operatively connecting the said secondary slide and button-holding jaws arranged to move the latter from and to a common center and further means, including said spring, for actuating said secondaryslide to open and close said button-holding jaws.

4. In a button-holding clamp, the combination of a main slide; two button-holding jaws movably secured to said main slide; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide, operatively connected to said buttonholding jaws and held in a normal position by a spring and means, including said spring, for actuating said secondary slide to open and close said button-holding jaws and operate the button-holdingclamp and jaws in the relative order of first, lifting the button-clamp, second, opening the button-holding jaws to release a button held therein, third, closing the button-holding jaws upon a button placed therein,and fourth, restoring the clamp to a normal position.

5. In a button-holding clamp, the combination of a main slide capable of a longitudinal movement to and from a normal position; a stop to limit the movement of said main slide from a normal position; a spring 44 to hold said main slide toward a normal position; two button-holding jaws movably secured to said main slide; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide, operatively connected to said button-holding jaws and held toward a normal position by a spring 47, of a greater resilient strength than the spring 44; and

means, including the spring 47, for actuating the secondary slide to open and close the but-' ton-holding jaws.

6. In a button-holding clamp, the combination of a main slide capable of a longitudinal movement to and from a normal position; a stop to limit the movement of said main slide from a normal position; a spring 44 to hold said main slide toward a normal position; two button-holding jaws movably secured to said main slide and arranged to hold a button at substantially a right angle to the plane of movement of said main slide; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide, operatively connected to said button-holding jaws and held in a normal position by a spring 47, of a greater resilient strength than the spring 44; and means, including the spring 47, for actuating the secondary slide to open and close the button-holding jaws.

7. In a button-holding clam p, the combination of a main slide capable of a longitudinal movement to and from a normal position; a stop to limit the movement of said main slide from a normal position; a spring 44 to hold said main slide toward a normal position; two button-holding jaws movably secured to said main slide and provided with diagonal slots; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide, operatively connected to said button-holdingjaws and held in a normal position by a spring 47, of a greater resilient strength than the spring 44; and means, including the spring 47, for actuating the secondary slide to open and close the buttonholding jaws.

8. In a button-holding clam p, the combination of a main slide capable of a longitudinal movement to and from a normal position; a stop to limit the movement of said main slide from a normal position; a spring 44 to hold said main slide toward a normal position; two button-holding jaws movably secured to said main slide and arranged to hold a button at substantially a right angle to the plane of movement of said main slide and provided with diagonal slots; a secondary slide movably secured to said main slide and operatively connected by a stud to the diagonal slots in said button-holding jaws; a spring 47, of a greater resilient strength than the spring 44 interposed between said main slide and secondary slide to hold the latter toward a normal position and close said button-holding jaws and a lever contacting with said secondary slide to lift and open said button-holding clamp and jaws, to permit a button to be removed or inserted by the operator.

9. In a button-holdingclamp, the combination of a main slide pivotally secured to the frame of the machine and capable of longitudinal movement to and from a normal position; a stop to limit the movement of said main slide from a normal position; a spring 44, to hold said main slide toward a normal position; two button-holding jaws pivoted to said main slide provided with diagonal slots and arranged to hold a button at substantially a right angle to the plane of movement of said main slide; asecondary slide movably secured to said'main slide and operatively connected by a stud to said diagonal slots in the button-holdin g jaws a spring 47 of a greater resilient strength than the spring 44 interposed between said rnain slide and secondary slide, to hold the latter toward a normal position and close the button-holding jaws and a lever contacting with said secondary slide,

to first, raise said button-holding clamp to astopped position, second, open the buttonholding jaws, third, permit the spring 47 to close the button-holding jaws, and fourth, lower the button-holding clamp to its first position.

FRANCIS T. LEILIGH'.

Witnesses:

H. G. LEILICH, N. E. W. SMITH. 

